Fabric cap



F. B. PROBST Get. 20, 1936.

FABRIC CAP 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed July A 11, 1952 Arroe/Eyr Patented Oct. 20, 1936 yUETED STATES PATENT OFFICE FABRIC CAP Application July 11, 1932, Serial No. 621,840

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in washable visored caps, and has for its principal objects to provide a cap, the visor of which will always assume an outstanding position at the A- proper angle when the cap is worn, and to provide a cap in which the crown unfailingly assumes and is maintained in an upright position when the` cap is worn. I am aware that many attempts have been made to attain the above 1'6 mentioned much desired results, but insofar as 1 am aware, such a result has never been attained except by the use of stifeners such as wire forms, or appliques of material, or panel inserts,

u all of which, besides being expensive, are obi5 jectionable for various reasons well known to this art, and particularly in regard to the laundering process. 1

. In washable caps leather sweat bands cannot be used, and any devices inserted as stiieners have vto be removed before washing. Moreover, the visors of the ordinary types of washable caps do, not assume proper visor position after the cap has once been washed, nor do the crowns of this type of cap stand in an upright position '25 on vthe head', but generally sag at some point.

A featureof the invention is the utilization of a reenforcing band (which positionally corresponds to thesweat band) to enclose the upper slitted margin of the visor (or the inner margin "'30 of an unslitted visor) said band giving finish to the inner or head-engaging portions of the cap. v

Another feature of the invention is the use of two single rows of stitching, one'row at the 35 bottom margin of the crown for attaching both the material of the crown and of the reenforcing band to the visor, the stitching being continuous around the lower margin of the cap,

. and'another single row continuous around the "40 cap andiacting to secure the folded-in portion of the band-reenforcing element in position, and acting to secure the upper margin of this element to the crown.

Features include all details of construction, along with the broader ideas of means inherent in the disclosure.

. Objects, features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description of the 510 drawings forming a part of this application, and

in said drawings Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of ltheilnproved cap;

Figure 2 is a bottom'plan view;

.'55 Figure 3 is a plan view of the visor;

Figure 4 is a plan illustrating the method of attaching the crown to the visor; and

Figure 5 is a bottom plan illustrating the method of attaching the reenforcing band to the visor and crown. 5

The visor and crown portions of the cap are separately formed. Referring to Figures 1 and 3: The visor I is formed of a middle layer 2 of thick heavy canvas faced on opposite sides as at 3 3 with thinner material of the same kind. l0 Rows of circular stitching 5 secure the fabric elements 2 and 3 together. The visor is of sufficient length to provide terminal portions 6 which are adapted to lie flatly against the temples of the wearer. That portion of the visor which corresponds to the brow portion of the head is slitted inwardly from the upper or inner edge as at 'i in a direction toward the opposite or outer margin of the visor, the area of slitting generally corresponding to that portion of the visor which lies between the temples.

The slits define a rear band-like or marginal visor portion which is capable of bending along a line formed by the inner ends of the slits, to conforml to the vertical or upward and rearward contour of the brow, as well as to its circumferential or horizontal contour.

The function of the slits 'l is to allow the upperv marginal portion of the relatively thick material of the visor to bend along the line formed by the inner ends of the slits. It is noted that these slits are only provided in a band-like area which corresponds substantially to the brow portion or to that portion which lies between the temples. Therefore, only the brow portion of that margin which is covered by the sweat band is capable of bending, and those portions of the visor which lie beyond the slits, and which are opposed to the temples, are forced to conform to and lie flatly against the temples. By referring to Figure 4, it can be eas- -ily seen that the result is to bring the part Il to an upright position and maintain it in an upright position.

T'he crown is generally indicated at I0 and is 45 composed of a strip of material H which forms its vertical portion, and a top portion I2 suitably secured as by stitching I3 to the upper margin of the element Il. Inasmuch as there is a decided shrinkage in goods when it is washed and inasmuch as it is an important object of this in`- vention to provide a cap which can be washed without undue shrinkage, this crown-forming cloth is cut in a certain direction with that end in View. There is less shrinkage in the woof threads of the cloth than in the warp, and, therefore, the cloth for the crown is cut so that when the crown is attached, the warp threads lie in a horizontal plane, or in a plane parallel with the top of the cap.

An inside finishing and reenforcing band I5 is provided which positionally corresponds to the sweat band of the ordinary hat. The visor eX- tends and is secured between the crown and this finishing and reenforcing band. Referring to Figure l: This finishing band is folded upon itself as at |511 and has its front portion 15b folded about the inner margin of the visor. Numeral I6 indicates the bend line.

The portion IEb is disposed between the outer face of the visor and the inner face of the crown. A single line of stitching I'I passes through the fold portion I6 and through the crown and this stitching is continued to secure the reenforcing band circumferentially to the wall I I of the crown. A single line of stitching 2i) secures the lower margin of the wall II of the crown and the lower margin of the innermost portion of the band to the inner face of the visor, and this same line of stitching is continued to secure the lower margins of the wall I I and band. It isv seen by an inspection of Figure l that the band I5 is a folded two-ply structure and its lower margin, as well as the lower margin of the crown are in-turned respectively as at 22-23 for reenforcement purposes. Referring to the lines A-B of Figure 2, it will be seen that a substantial area of the rear ends of vthe visor are opposed to the templar regions of the head of the wearer, these portions being indicated by the numeral 6, see also Figure 1.

Before in-turning the portion I5b of the band, the same is slitted inwardly as at 26, see Figure 5. Inthe drawings, the goods at the slit are turned back, `and in the same figure the lower layer of the visor has been also turned back, at one of the slits.

The method of applying and attaching the elements of the cap is best illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. Referring first to Figure 4, the side-forming portion of the crown, before sewing, is first folded or plaited as at 30. This allows or permits curving of the visor, and also assists in causing the front of the cap to unfailingly assume and be maintained in a vertical or upright position when the cap is placed on the head. The crowns of the ordinary fabric caps collapse when worn. It is noted that the line of stitching 20, see Figure v5, lies just outwardly from the inner ends Vof the slits 'I. It will also be noted that the slit 26 of the band is at the middle and substantially coincides or corresponds with the point 28 of the fold 30.

The slitting allows the brow-opposed portion of the visor to bend upwardly conformably to the upward and rearward curvature of the forehead, and permits such conformative bending only between the terminal or temple-engaging portions of the visor, and causes the temple-,engaging portions to assume a vertical position flatly against the temples. This is partly due to a tendency for those portions of the Visor which lie at opposite sides of the mid-line, to hinge or pivot on this radial mid-line C (Figure 4).

It is noted that the lower portion of the crown overlaps the outer side of the upper or innermost portion of the visor. The two are stitched together, see Figures 4 and 5, and the lower edge of thel crown and inner edge of the visor form lines which graduallydiverge at each side of and outwardly from the middle of the visor. The divergence is relatively slight as shown in the drawings but, of course, may be greater.

It is further noted, see Figure 1, that the visor is only stitched to the crown at its lower margin substantially at the bend line. This stitching is shown at and it is further noted that the portion of the Visor above or inwardly from this line of stitching 20 is free, that is it is unattached to any part of the crown or band I 5, the upper portion of the band being operably held by the stitches I1 which do not pass through the visor.

I claim as my invention:

l. A cap comprising a crown, a visor, and a sweat band, said visor having an upper portion extending and secured between the cro-wn and the band, with substantial terminal areas so placed as to be opposed to the temples of the wearer, a part of the upper portion of the visor which lies between the temple portions being slitted from the edge in a direction toward the opposite or outer margin of the visor, and said bandhaving a portion which is folded about the upper margin of the visor and which lies between the visor and crown.

2. A cap comprising a crown, a visor, and a reenforcing bandas a liner, said visor having an upper portion extending and secured between the crown and the band, with substantial terminal areas so placed as to be opposed to the temples of the wearer, a part of the upper marginal portion of the visor which lies between the temple portions being slitted inwardly from the edgein a direction toward the opposite 4or outer margin of the visor, and said band overlying the inner face of the visor and said band having a portion which is folded about the upper margin of the visor to lie between the visor and the crown, stitching attaching the lower margins of the band and crown to the visor, and .stitching passing through the band adjacentV the fold line` and securing it to the crown and securing the upper margin of the band to the crown.

3. A cap comprising a crown, a visor, and a reenforcing band as a liner, said Visor having an upper portion extending between the crown and the band with substantial terminal areas so placed as toy be opposed to the temples of the wearer, a part of the upper marginal portion of the visor which lies between the temple portions being slitted inwardly from the edge in a direction toward the lower or outer margin ,of the visor, and said band overlying the inner face of the visor and having a portion which is folded about the upper margin of the visor to lie between the Visor and the crown, stitching attaching the lower margins of the band and crown to the visor, and to one another, and stitching passing through the band adjacent the fold line of the band and securing it only to the crown.

4. A cap comprising a crown, a visor of, flexible ymaterial and finishing band whichengages the head of the wearer, said band engaging the inner side of the visor and being folded over rthe upper edge of the visor to lie between the visor and the crown, the upper margin of the visor being slitted inwardly from its edge, and said upper margin having a substantially hyperbolic contour.

5. A cap comprising a crown, a visor, of iiexible material and finishing band which engages the head of the wearer, said band engaging the inner side of the visor and being foldedover the upper edge of the visor to liebetween` the visor and the crown, and stitching securingthe upperedge of the band to the crown only, stitching securing the lower edge of the band to the visor and crown, the upper margin of the visor being slitted inwardly from its edge, the slits being only in a portion of the brow-engaging portion, and said upper margin having a substantially hyperbolic contour.

6. A cap comprising a crown and a visor, the brow-opposed portion of the visor having a number of slits extending inwardly from the upper edge, said visor providing unslitted terminal portions of substantial length which are adapted to be opposed to the temples of a wearer, the crown overlapping the visor and the crown and visor being stitched together only along a line adjacent the inner ends of the slits, to dene a bend line, and the lower edge of the crown and inner edge of the visor gradually diverging from the middle of the visor outwardly.

'7. A cap comprising a crown and a visor, the brow-opposed portion only of the visor having a number of relatively closely spaced slits extending inwardly from the upper edge, said visor providing unslitted terminal portions of substantial length which are adapted to be opposed to the temples of a wearer, the crown overlapping the visor, and the crown and visor being stitched together only along a line adjacent the inner ends of the slits to define a bend line, and the lower edge of the crown and inner edge of the visor gradually diverging from the middle of the visor outwardly.

8. A method for producing a visored cap in which the act of donning the cap causes the crown to assume an upright position, and thereafter be maintained in upright position while the cap is worn, which consists in forming a iiexible visor having a concave upper edge, slitting the visor inwardly from said edge to increase flexibility in the brow-opposed portion, providing a crownside-forming portion, forming a fold, arranging the concave side of the visor and the lower portion of the crown-side-forming element in overlapped relation and securing the crown and visor by stitching disposed outwardly from the slits and along a line non-parallel with the concave side of the upper edge of the visor and adjacent the lower edge of the crown-side-forming portion.

FREDERICK B. PROBST. 

